The newest addition to “The Sandman” series after 16 years, “Sandman Overture,” starts before it all began: explaining how the Lord of Dreams was weakened so mortally to allow himself capture by humans. The art is gorgeous, every panel given ample detail and color. While these prequels may be more than expected, they will be […]

“John Dies at the End,” by David Wong, is the essence of a cult classic horror film distilled into book form. The story thrashes between absurd and creepy like Peter Dinklage singing on Sesame Street. There were moments I had to put the book down, stare at the cover, and ask myself, “What am I […]

“Steelheart” is the first in a trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. It’s young adult fiction, granted, but Sanderson generally does a great job of entertaining a more sophisticated audience. The story focuses on post-apocalyptic America, after evil super-powered “Epics” destroy civilization. One of the Epics, named Steelheart, sets up an empire […]

Inexplicably, there is an incredible author who seems to have gone unnoticed by a large majority of people within the St. Paul’s microcosm. Terry Pratchett, a constant writer of bestsellers, furthered his reputation with his latest book “Snuff,” which nearly sold out within three days. Terry Pratchett writes humor, and he writes humor well. He […]

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz The story revolves around overweight nerd Oscar — self proclaimed “Dominican Tolkien” — his family, and their lives both in and out of the Dominican Republic. But Oscar isn’t so easily explained with simple adjectives as “fat” or “awkward.” No, Oscar is a special case […]